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Pelosi Statement on Women's Equality Day

Aug 25, 2017

Press Release

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

San Francisco – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement marking Women's Equality Day, commemorating the 97th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, which is Saturday, August 26:

"On Women's Equality Day, we mark a milestone moment for our democracy: the 97th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, when the right of women to vote was first recognized. As we celebrate this achievement, we must also somberly remember that millions of American women of color would have to wait decades longer before their right to vote was truly recognized.

"On this day, we must rededicate ourselves to the fight for full access to the ballot box – a fight which remains regrettably unfinished today. Much more needs to be done to stand up against the wave of statewide voter suppression activities and pernicious new barriers to the ballot box that threaten to disenfranchise working families and communities of color. Democrats will also continue to fight every day to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were ripped away by a disastrous U.S. Supreme Court decision four years ago.

"We must also fight to unleash the full power of women in the workplace, in our politics and in our communities. It is unacceptable that nearly a century after women secured the vote, American women earn only on average 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. That's why Democrats are offering A Better Deal for Women: an ambitious, fresh economic agenda that means growing incomes, lowered costs for families and the tools for every working family to succeed. On this special day, let us take up the tools that generations of American women fought to give us, and let us together drive a stronger, more just and more inclusive future for all."